Two Commanders
by MacGateFan
Summary: Addendum to the Family Series. Takes place before the series. Mac answers Sturgis' question from Undercover: Why doesn't Harm like Mic Brumby?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Two Commanders  
Rating: PG13  
Author: MacGateFan  
Disclaimers: All characters of JAG are property of Donald P. Bellisario and Paramount Pictures.  
Notes: Addendum to the Family Series. Takes place before the series. Mac answers Sturgis' question from "Undercover": Why doesn't Harm like Mic Brumby?

--------------------------

I couldn't believe what was happening. He was suspended because someone said he had allegedly been selling drugs. He would never do that. Never. Everyone just thinks I'm biased, but I'm not. I know Harmon Rabb, Jr. He is the most honest person on the face of the Earth. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his career.

I watched the look on Harm's face as Admiral Chegwidden told him about the suspension. Myself, Sturgis, and Bud were too close to this so none of us could take the investigation. It looks as if Mic Brumby would take the case.

Harm was not happy about that. The two men never really hit it off. Mic was always trying to get me to date him and I think that made Harm exceedingly jealous. It also made Harm realize how much he loved me so I'm not totally complaining about it.

The thing none of us at JAG could figure out was how this exchange program wit the Australian Navy worked. None of us had been sent there and there didn't seem to be any plans to send someone in the near future. As far as the Admiral could tell, though, everything was legit.

Admiral Chegwidden dismissed Harm. I gave him a small smile then turned my attention back to the Admiral. "Mac, I don't need to tell you how serious this is."

"No, you don't, Sir. And, for the record, I do not believe for one second that Harm has anything to do with this!"

He nodded and I could tell in his eyes that he agreed with me. "Mac, I was wondering if you would like to take some leave. Harm could really use you right now."

"And you want me to keep him away from the investigation."

"Yes. I know how much he's going to want to figure this out on his own, I'd be the same way, but he can't. I'll be working with Commander Brumby in a non-official capacity. Hopefully, that will appease Harm."

"I hope so too, Sir."

After my talk with the Admiral, I headed out to the bullpen to look for Harm. His door was shut and the blinds were closed. I hesitated, wondering if he wanted to be alone. I decided to let him be for now, after all, he was going to be surrounded by plenty of people soon enough.

"Colonel Mackenzie, "Bud said, "Harm is sitting in his office and he seems out of it. What happened?"

I took a deep breath and explained the situation to him. All the color drained from Bud's face. "It's all right. Mic will get him out of this, I know it!"

"Mic?" Bud asked.

"Yeah. Apparently we're all too close to this to take it on."

"I don't trust him, Ma'am."

-----------------------

I knocked on the door to Harm's apartment. I waited a few minutes before I tried the door. It turned easily in my hands. That's odd, I thought, but then realized he was probably just in the shower, forgot to lock the door, and didn't hear me knock.

Although I have to say, the sight that greeted me would stay with me forever. Harm was unconscious on the floor, blood spreading through his Navy whites. I rushed to his side and frantically searched for a pulse. When I found it, I looked around for the phone.

I nearly smacked myself because I had cell phone in my pocket. I quickly dialed 911 and told them what I knew. I did a quick scan of the area and noticed some sort of white substance in a bag about five feet away from Harm.

"Oh my God!"

Harm chose that moment to stir. "Mac?" he gasped out.

"Yeah, Harm, it's me."

"He was here, Mac! He--he tried to--" Harm trailed off as he began to cough.

"Shh. It's all right. An ambulance is on it's way. We can talk about it later."

Little did I realize that I should have listened to Harm right then. Before I could even say anything else to him, the EMT's arrived and I moved to let them do their work. The police arrived a few minutes later and I found myself answering as many questions as I could.

When they were finished with me, they began to search Harm's apartment. I took the opportunity to call Admiral Chegwidden. When he answered, I found my voice didn't want to come out. "A-Admiral..."

"Mac, is that you? What's wrong?"

"Harm."

"Is he all right? Are you all right?"

"Sir, Harm was shot. They're taking him to the hospital right now. Sir, we found a bag of cocaine in his apartment."

-------------------------

When I looked up from the paperwork I was filling out, Mic was walking over to me. He looked so cavalier, almost as if nothing happened. I shook it off for the moment because my thoughts needed to be elsewhere.

"Hello, Love. How's Commander Rabb?"

I wanted to smack him! I can't stand it when he calls me 'Love'. "He's in the OR right now. They're attempting to remove the bullet." I finally looked up at him. "Did you check out his apartment?"

"Yeah. We found more bags in the bathroom. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your friend is nothing more than a drug dealer."

My temper flared and before I could help myself, my arm was swinging up towards his face. I would have hit him too if the Admiral hadn't arrived and grabbed me. "Mac!" he exclaimed.

"Sir!"

I really didn't know what to say. Okay, so there were a million and one things I wanted to say to Mic, but I couldn't in front of Admiral Chegwidden.

"Why don't you check on Commander Rabb's status?"

I nodded, curtly, I might add, and went to find a nurse. I watched the pair out of the corner of my eye. They seemed to be having a rather heated discussion. In fact, I could have sworn I saw the Admiral squeeze his hand into a fist.

"Excuse me," I said. A young nurse looked up at me and smiled. I really don't know how they can be so chipper all the time working in a hospital. I mean, people died so much around here. "Could you tell me how the surgery is going for Harmon Rabb?"

"Just one minute and I'll check for you, Ma'am."

One minute turned out to be a really long time. She finally walked over to me, still smiling. I only hope that meant good news. "Ma'am, they're just finishing up. He's doing fine. He'll be a little weak, but that's to be expected. The doctor will be out soon to talk to you."

"Thank you so much!" I said, relief evident in my voice. I guess that's one of the reasons they're so happy around here. I rushed over to the Admiral. "Sir! He's going to be fine!"

"That's great!" We both looked over at Mic, who seemed to pale at this. "Isn't that great, Commander?"

"Uh, yeah. Fantastic."

I studied his face. He was looking everywhere but at myself and Admiral Chegwidden. Mic Brumby was up to something, and I was going to find out what!

When I entered the recovery room, I had to take a deep breath. Harm looked so fragile on that hospital bed, I could hardly believe it was him. I walked slowly towards him and took his hand in mine.

"Mac...?" he whispered.

"Hey, Flyboy. How are you feeling?"

"Like someone pushed a lawn mower through my lungs."

I shook my head. "You have a way with words."

"I need to tell you something important," Harm said. I was going to tell him to worry about it later because his breathing was so labored, but he seemed so determined to get it out. I nodded for him to go on. "Brumby was at my apartment this morning."

My eyes widened. No wonder the Australian looked ready to pass out when I said Harm was going to be all right. "He's right outside, I'll--"

"Mac, wait!" Harm exclaimed. I turned and looked at him in confusion. Why did he want me to wait? "Brumby didn't shoot me. I heard them come in just as I finished getting dressed, attempting to plant those drugs. He had a friend with him, he's the one who shot me."

"Who was he?"

Harm looked at me incredulously. "I didn't get his name, I was too busy being shot."

I kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't suppose you could describe him?" Harm shook his head and began to cough. I grabbed the cup of ice chips and gave it to him. He smiled thankfully. "Just relax for now. I'm going to go and talked to with the Admiral about this."

"Sarah, I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too, Harm."

I looked everywhere for Admiral Chegwidden, but he was no where to be found. I saw Bud and Harriet rushing in, looking all around the ER. I called over to them. "Harm's fine," I told them.

Harriet sighed in relief. "Thank God!" she said. "Can we see him?"

"He's in room 24," I replied with a nod.

"Brumby and the Admiral are looking for you," Bud added.

"Where are they?"

"Out in the lot."

I didn't say another word. I grabbed the nearest security guard and left a gaping Bud and Harriet in my wake.

When I arrived outside, I saw the Admiral on his cell phone and Mic was nowhere to be found. I explained the situation to the guard and had him get someone to protect Harm. The problem was, no one knew what this friend of Mic's even looked like.

"Admiral!" I called as he walked over.

"Mac, I just spoke with Commander Brumby. He said he had a lead he wanted to check out."

My eyes widened at that. "Sir, Harm said he and some other guy were at his apartment when he got back from his jog. They were planting the drugs there and that guy, whoever he was, shot Harm!"

"Are you sure about that?" he asked skeptically. "Maybe Harm was hallucinating. Didn't the doctor say he lost a lot of blood?"

"Think about it, Admiral. What do we really know about Mic? We've been questioning his arrival ever since we heard about the exchange program. Everyone we've talked to has seemed to brush it under the rug."

Admiral Chegwidden looked thoughtful. "You believe Brumby was sent here to discredit Harm."

I nodded. "The question is, by who?"


	2. Chapter 2

Two Commanders  
Part 2  
Author: MacGateFan  
Disclaimers in Part 1

-----------------------

After saying good night to Harm, I headed out to my car. I told him what the Admiral was attempting to do. He was still a little out of it because of the medication he was on, but I could tell he was grateful nonetheless.

As I was unlocking my car door, I heard a noise behind me. Looking around I saw that I was the only one in the lot. With a shrug, I went to open the door and gasped when someone slammed me against the car.

Whoever it was had a vice grip on my head and wouldn't let me turn to face them. I didn't have to though because I recognized the voice immediately. "Colonel, you are in over your head. If you don't drop this, you won't be around anymore to help your precious commander."

The last thing I saw was a flash of light as I felt myself fall to the ground...

When I came to, I was still in the lot. I ignored the pounding in my head and glanced at my watch. I was only out for about ten minutes, but it felt longer. I heard someone shouting at me and I wanted to smack them because my head was really hurting.

"Miss, are you all right?" the man asked.

"I'll be fine," I replied, getting up. I stopped as a wave of dizziness passed over me.

He tried to get me to stay where I was. "You should really be checked out."

This was going to delay any plans I had to help Harm, but I relented. "I guess I should ask who my Good Samaritan is," I said as he led me back into the hospital.

"Daniel Jackson."

"So, Daniel, do you rescue people often?"

"As much as I can…"

"I'm Sarah Mackenzie. Mac." Daniel smiled. He was definitely adorable, I concluded. "Are you from around here?"

"Denver. I'm just visiting a friend," he replied.

"Colonel Mackenzie, are you all right?" a nurse asked, rushing over to her.

"I've been better."

"She must have been attacked in the parking lot," Daniel said. "I've had enough bumps on the head to know when to be checked out."

"There you are, Daniel!" A voice called out.

"Jack."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Daniel, quit finding women wherever we go."

"General Jack O'Neill, this is Colonel Sarah Mackenzie."

I was going to be polite and salute, but I was just about ready to pass out. General O'Neill noticed this and grabbed my arm to steady me. "Maybe we should get the lady a bed," I heard him suggest.

------------------

I opened my eyes to see Harm attempting to get up out of bed. I don't think he noticed me. I sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in my head, and said, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Mac!" he exclaimed in shock. The look quickly wore off because he must have seen my bandaged forehead. He immediately rushed to my side. I could tell he was trying to ignore his pain.

"Harm, I'm fine," I told him. "Just a little bump on the head."

"What happened?" I shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Mac."

I gave in and told him what happened. He was not happy about it, to say the least. "Have you heard from the Admiral?"

"Not since yesterday before I tried to leave. I should check my voicemail. Maybe he tried to call."

Harm watched me as I took down the information from my messages. I handed him the first one from Admiral Chegwidden. _Brumby is missing. Found evidence he was involved. Meet me at JAG when you get this._

"Mac, when did he call?"

"About an hour ago. I'll call him on my way there."

"I'm coming with you," Harm said, wincing as he walked over to his overnight bag.

I stared at him. "Harmon Rabb, get back into bed! You are not going anywhere in your condition!"

"But, Mac…"

I helped him to his bed. "I know you want to catch Brumby, but you won't be doing yourself any favors if you rip those stitches."

Harm acquiesced and kissed my hand. "I'll stay, but you'd better be careful. That's an order, Marine!"

I shook my head. "We're still the same rank, but I will be. I'll call you when I know more."

As I headed out, I was stopped my doctor. "Colonel, I haven't discharged you yet."

"I realize that, but I'm discharging myself anyway. I have a lead and I need to meet with my CO to discuss options."

The man nodded, but he was not happy about it. "Very well," he replied. "Good luck."

Truthfully, I have no intention of meeting the Admiral just yet. He never said it was an order that I join him at JAG. Besides, I had a call from Brumby. He wanted to discuss some sort of deal to get the investigation away from Harm.

Yeah, we'll see about that!

I glanced down at the directions he gave me. I had no idea the drive was going to be so long and I just remembered that I hadn't even called the Admiral so he is going to call Harm and then Harm will be worried about me.

Way to go, Marine!

When I arrived at the location, I stepped out of my car and looked around. "Hello, Love," Brumby said, grabbing me from behind.

Just an FYI, do **NOT** grab a Marine from behind like that!

I jabbed him in the stomach and flipped him over my shoulder, glaring at him. "Don't call me 'Love'!"

Brumby stood up and I noticed him nod at someone behind me. He was too quick for me and jabbed me in the arm with a hypodermic needle. The last thing I heard was, "You made me change my plans, Sarah."


	3. Chapter 3

Two Commanders  
Part 3  
Author: MacGateFan  
Disclaimers in Part 1

* * *

I don't think I remember my head ever hurting so much than right now. Not even my worst hangover was this bad. My hands ran across something smooth. I opened my eyes and that's when I noticed what I was wearing: a silky slip.

A million thoughts ran through my mind. What did Brumby to do me? What was Harm going to think?

My train of thought ended there when I heard the door knob turn. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up around me. The last person I expected to see was standing at the door. "Harm?"

"Mac!" he exclaimed, rushing over to me.

"God, how did you find me?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist (being careful not to squeeze him too hard).

"It wasn't easy, but we'll talk about that later. Let's just get you home."

I nodded as he covered me with a blanket. "Harm, don't you dare pick me up! The doctor will have your six! How you were able to get out of there, I'll never know."

"Quiet, Mac. Don't worry about me right now," he replied, carefully lifting me in his arms.

I saw him wince slightly, but shook my head. There was no talking to him when his mind was made up. Truth be told, I love the fact that he's carrying me, although I am going to owe him big time.

* * *

I woke up the next morning, this time without a headache. I glanced to my right and saw Harm sleeping peacefully next to me. Tears began spilling out as I realized how close I had been to losing him.

He smiled back, but didn't open his eyes. "That is definitely a way to wake up!"

"How about I wake you up like that everyday?"

Harm's eyes opened at that. "Are you proposing, Marine?"

"I am, Sailor."

"Then I accept."

I snuggled close to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sarah."

I woke up again to find Harm gone. I then heard voices in the other room. I grabbed one of Harm's sweatshirts and pulled it on. I smiled when I saw who was there. "Sir, it's good to see you."

"You too, Colonel. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you."

"I spoke with the Secnav. We still don't know who orchestrated this mess and Brumby isn't talking. He was very impressed with the way things were handled, though. I told him of your situation and we both agreed that as long as you remain professional during work hours, there's no reason why you both can't continue to be assigned to the same office."

Harm looked at me and smiled. "Thank you, Sir."

"Don't make me regret this!" he said.

"No, Sir!" we replied.

Harm handed the Admiral a bottled water and led us to the couch. "Brumby is being deported as we speak," the Admiral said. "He kept talking about revenge, but I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"We won't, Sir. Besides, we have more important things to worry about."

Harm nodded. "Should we have meat or veggie lasagna for the wedding reception?"


End file.
